Recap: Mo Williams!

Taking advantage of a ridiculously porous Sacramento Kings defense, LeBron James’ triple-double wasn’t even close to being the line of the night as Mo Williams posted an unworldly 43/8/11 to lead the Cavs to a win in a shootout against a surprisingly feisty Kings team that hung around into the fourth quarter.

Cavs-Related Bullets:

Question: What did Mo Williams and the Kings have in common tonight?

Answer: They both spent the entire game in the zone! Hey-Oh!

Let’s get into some Mo Williams superlatives.

43/8/11 is, without a question, the best line posted by a Cavalier not named “LeBron” in the LeBron era, and is probably top-5 in lines that include LeBron. I mean, if Mo snags two more measly boards and hits two of the icing-on-the cake heat-check threes in the final minutes, he’d have LBJ’s iconic 50/10/10 line plus another assist. And Mo did it with only 24 shots.

Scottie Pippen’s career high? 47.

Mo’s True Shooting? 79.6%. Look at that. And if you count the two technical free throws he took as a bonus and not as a shot attempt, that number bumps up to 82.6%. That is absolutely ridiculous.

A look at the shot chart will tell you that Mo, who came into this game as perhaps the best midrange shooter in the game, put on an absolute perimeter game CLINIC that you should absolutely show to your kids if you want them to learn how to score from outside effectively. (Even, maybe especially, if your name is Gloria James)

A breakdown:

Free throws from shooting fouls: 4 points

Technical free throws: 2 points

Layups: 2-3, 4 points

Jumpers <10 feet: 0 (Close enough to the basket so that the big alters the shot)

Jumpers 13-18 feet: 5-7, 10 points (Happy Zone)

Jumpers >18 feet, inside three-point line: 1-1, 2 points (Far enough away from the big to get a clean shot, but too far from the basket)

3-pointers: 7-12, 21 points

Now, layups are good, and the fact that Mo scored a combined 8 of his 43 points on drives to the basket is actually a little troubling, especially when he almost literally does not miss free throws. But when Mo put it on the deck, he didn’t settle for the deep jumper-he took it to his spots on the floor.

A big thing were the three-pointers, and he was just unconscious from that area, catching and shooting open jumpers all night long. It should be noticed here that the Kings were playing a zone that has no business in the NBA all night and were esentially giving away jumpers all night, but shooting performances like Mo’s would be impressive against a team of semi-dextrous trained bears. Actually, that would probably be more impressive.

I love that All-Star coaches’ voting closed a few hours before this game tipped off.

-At word 470, it’s time to talk about LeBron James’ triple-double. Bit of a yawner. The rebounds are pretty easy for him with Z out and the Kings unable to rebound, and it’s not all that hard getting assists when you’re feeding it to a guy who’s just not missing from the outside.

As for the points, he was more or less able to do what he wanted out there, with 4 of his 10 shots coming from outside the paint.

In the “Things that are not coincidences” file: Saturday, LeBron got hacked all game and ended up with 6 free throws, and a video of him getting SLAPPED IN THE FACE during a dunk during a no-call circulated. Tonight, 15 free throws for LeBron. Also, it’s not a coincidence that the nights LeBron seems to be hitting his free throws also seem to be the nights he gets himself back there over and over.

Whatever. Ho-hum night from the man well on his way to a unanimous MVP season. Let’s talk about a player who I actually am excited about:

TARENCE KINSEY!!! THE REPORT IS IN, BABY!! This guy may be my favorite wing in the LeBron era. He’s clearly our second-best perimeter defender, he WANTS TO FAST BREAK and runs the floor like a gazelle, he’s disruptive as all hell, and-get this-on a team where defenses load up the strong-side more than any other team, he’s active and making cuts on the weak side and getting layups! Who woulda thunk it?

How this guy didn’t get in the rotation over a Euro who plays like a bad American and an American who plays like a bad Euro is completely beyond me.

Kinsey play of awesomeness of the night: Kinsey runs the floor on the fast-break and gets by everybody, LeBron rewards him with a lob, he catches it but can’t finish, pulls it down and finds a wide-open Wally in the corner for three, Wally misses, but since the Cavs have numbers and pushed the ball effectively LeBron gets a highlight-reel tip slam because Kinsey was doing the little things. Kinsey is what Larry Hughes was supposed to be when we signed him. Finally, proof that slashers can play with LeBron James if they’re not terrible. Oh, Kinsey had a +13 in 18 minutes tonight. And he hit a three! I love you, TK.

Another great game for JJ, who’s taking that one extra patience dribble at the basket and getting finishes. He’s becoming a monster. JJ and Kinsey are like the silver lining club-they should definitely be in the rotation when Z and Delonte get back. ‘

Report on the backup guard troika: Pavs solid, Wally and Boobie terrible, with Boobie failing to see a guy looking for a wide-open dunk on a fast break twice. There are absolutely 18 minutes for TK between these three guys every night.

Your leader in +/- on the Cavs tonight: Ben Wallace and his crushing line of 1/5/0. Say it with me: good things happen when Ben Wallace is on the floor.

Bullets of Randomness:

I’m not sure if we played uncharacteristically bad defense or if Sacramento is just the best team at firing threes with no set-up dribbles at all ever. They’re like a bracket-buster. And that zone was laughably terrible.

I have no idea how Kevin Martin shoots over people, or how a guy without elite explosiveness and a jump shot he would seem to be unable to get off off the dribble got to the line 17 times and dropped 7 dimes. I saw it happen and I’m confused.

Play of the Game:

The previously described Kinsey-aided tip slam. I wanted to use a Mo play, but the great thing about his midrange game is that the shots all look the game. Improvisation does not belong on the perimeter.

Song of the Game:

“Street Lights” by Kanye West. Styles switch up, awesomeness ensues. These take too much time to choose and I just learned that I stole this bit from KnickerBlogger, so this is probably going to just turn into me putting a random song on here or just stopping it altogether. If you like this feature, plead for its stay of execution in the comments.

First off… Love the blog! Great work.
Secondly – a rant: Since I don’t have NBA League Pass I endured the NBA Channel’s “Game Time” coverage in hopes that they’d show a live look in to the Sacramento game. Of course they didn’t, but what they did do (and by “they” I mean Ahmand Rashad, Gary Payton, and Chris Webber) was talk, and talk, and talk. A lot of nonsense. The most nonsensical was them unanimously agreeing that Wade is, without question, the MVP of the first half of the season. The reason they gave is that if you take Wade off of the Heat they’d barely win 15 games. It even went so far as Payton saying that “Wade just does a little more to help his team win than LeBron”. He’s F’ing kidding right?!? He does watch actually watch games played in this NBA season… right?
I have nothing against Wade. He’s a truly special player, but using their reasoning shouldn’t LeBron have been the MVP the LAST THREE SEASONS?!? And wasn’t the main argument against LeBron not winning an MVP before now (especially last season) the fact that the Cavs weren’t a 50+ win team? Just like the Heat won’t be this year…
I bring this up to illustrate that, at least to me, there’s a double standard when it comes to the NBA’s brain trust over the MVP award, and I don’t think it’s a safe bet that LeBron will win it – no matter how deserving. I think too many people (the Rick Berry’s of the world) are holding LeBron to a higher standard, and until he develops the kind of jump shot they’re smitten with in players like Wade & Kobe – LeBron will always have this double standard to overcome during awards season.
Not that awards matter… right?
Anyway, go Cavs!

I have been saying all year that I thought TK should be getting some run. He averaged like 17ppg when he started down the stretch for that wretched Memphis team he was on a few years back. Also, NBA 2k9 rates TK as better than Gibson and Pavs and obviously that rating is the gold standard…

MoRZA! 43 games into the season, which, just so you know, is exactly one game past the halfway point, the Heat are 24-19. Basically, they are a game off a 50-win pace. Check this blog post, Mo Williams just dropped 43/8/11. Lebron’s playing with some rookies, true, but he’s also been playing with a Pau Gasol clone (Big Z…and check their stats if you don’t believe me, then watch their games if you still don’t), a former multiple defensive player of the year award winner (Big Ben), the league’s best pick-and-pop defender/offensive foul taker (Varajao) and a red hot Delonte West. Who’s Wade got? He’s got a rookie point guard and Jamal Magloire as his center. The second best player on his team is a fastbreak freak playing on a halfcourt heavy offense. And Wade’s got a rookie coach. And he’s averaging more points, more assists and more steals and more blocks. I think Lebron is this YEAR’S MVP (as do most of the people who vote for the MVP by the way) but to say that Wade is this season’s first half MVP is more than fair…it’s absolutely right. I think it’s funny. Ahmad Rashad has been covering NBA games for the past 20 years and G.P. and Webber don’t just watch the games, they actually played them and know what it takes. Show some f*ing respect.

Hey Jordan…
Quit crying about respect. That’s not what this is about (although if you watch those three yuk it up every Tuesday night I’d say the things that come out of their mouths are causing them to lose respect – not gain it). What I said takes nothing away from Wade, but the argument that Wade is the MVP of this season’s first half is bogus. Throw as many stats as you want my way, but I’ll counter with these: LeBron’s FG%, FT%, & 3P% are all better than Wade’s as is LeBron’s PER (by almost three points), and Wade’s lead over LeBron is less than one percentage point in scoring, assists, steals, and blocks. In addition Wade turns the ball over more than LeBron, but it seems you’re countering with the argument that Wade has to handle the ball so much more than LeBron because of his lackluster teammates… And this argument is the entire point of my rant last night. For the past three seasons LeBron has been doing EXACTLY what Wade now has to do with the Heat by shouldering the load of his team and attempting to single-handedly take them to the playoffs, but not once that I can recall in the three years prior was LeBron the front-runner for the MVP. So using your logic will you then concede that LeBron deserved one of, if not the last three MVP awards – when the only support, of the players you mention above, was Big Z (a two-time All Star to Marion’s four by the way)? My point is that, as of today – midway through the season, LeBron James is the offensive and defensive leader of the team with the best record in the NBA (by percentage). That’s why he is the MVP. Again, I take nothing away from Wade’s plight, but LeBron has earned it, and that’s worth respecting.

Lebron should have won the MVP last year. But the year’s before, the stupid logic that the MVP must win 50 games is what prevented him from winning in year’s past. Kobe was on the best team in the best conference of all time. That’s why he won it last year. Some of it’s politics like you’ve said. But, first half MVP and end of the year MVP are different things. Be happy in the knowledge that Lebron will almost certainly win it this year.

John–
Solid analysis again. I thought the Heat Check post on LBJ was really insightful; a new angle that I hope Brown’s assistants catch on to. As for the song at the end–scrap it and replace it with another 250 words. Thanks!

I just think that a certain faction of NBA types look for reasons to not give Lebron his due. He’s been the only reason the Cavs won more than 25 games each of the last three seasons. But we’ve been hearing the “best player on the best team” argument. Now for some reason, it’s “who is most valuable to his team.” we’ll look back in 15 years and wonder how the award could have been given to Nash & Nowitzki over Lebron.

[…] Cavalier squad ended up being Wally Z and Sasha Pavlovic, two guys who I described in my most rhapsodic Kinsey post of the year as “an American who plays like a bad Euro and a Euro who plays like a bad […]

It’s good to see TK getting some love from fans at the NBA level. You should have seen him in college. He went to the University of South Carolina, as I had the luxury of watching him play for four years… he was a scoring machine. It’s a shame he couldn’t take us to the big dance, but he did help us win back-to-back NIT titles. He has the ability to make any team he plays on better, for sure. He played with Renaldo Balkman, that first rounder for the Knicks a couple years back, at SC. It was fun watching those two.

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Nate Smith is an Associate Editor. He grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to NE Ohio in 2000. He adopted the Cavs in 2003 and graduated from Kent State in 2009 with a BA in English. He can be contacted at oldseaminer@gmail.com or @oldseaminer on Twitter.

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